Agent-Based Modelling of Drinking Behaviour

Here is where you can have a go at running the model described in the paper. The model has been written in an agent based modelling language called NetLogo. We have embedded the program in this web page. Follow the instruction below and try it out for yourselves

This is a model of individual drinking behaviour. Here people move left and right on a strip and interact with one another

The people have either susceptible ( these people have never drunk before and are colored green ) or they are current drinkers ( they are colored red ) or they have stopped drinking and become former drinkers ( they are colored blue )

How to run model

1. Click the blue button marked setup to place the people on the strip. Note that one of them is red. This is a drinker.

2. Then click the go button and you will see the people move about. As they do so they interact with others and if a non drinker interacts with a drinker then they too may become a drinker. If a drinker interacts with a non drinker they may become a non drinker.

The graphs show the number of people or each type by their colour.

3. The model will run for 1000 iterations the stop. To run it again click setup and the run.

Things to try

1. Speed up the movement by clicking the move-more check box

2. change the chance of giving up drinking by by clicking the high-probability-of-quiting check box

3. change the chance of giving starting drinking by by clicking the high-probability-of-restarting check box

4. add a pub ( the drinkes will move towards it ) by by clicking the add-bar check box

More infomation is in the model Info dropdown box at bottom of the page along with the code, if your interested